Lead me out on the moonlit floor
by Scarlet Secret
Summary: For the prompt: Cora and Sarah have kissed passionately a few times before but now Cora wants O'Brien to join her in a bath...


The first kiss was playful. After they've served food to wounded soldiers for what felt to Sarah like endless _hours_ of being _nice _and _smiling_ and having Mrs Patmore giving her smug looks it was a blessing to return to the calm of the house. The afternoon's activities had given Cora a new lease of ambition with her desire to do _something _for the men, even if she's not sure what, and her ladyship was babbling about cricket games and village fairs as Sarah tried to wrangle her out of her dress and into her housecoat. It was easy enough to smile and nod along without paying too much attention so when Cora reached for her hand and grasped it tightly Sarah was startled.

"And of course you must help me O'Brien. You made a mistake this afternoon I know, but I also know you have good intentions."

Sarah nodded along, a small smile plastered to her face and somewhere in the back of her mind she swore she could hear her sister laughing at that statement.

"And I'd hate to have to do it alone."

"You can count on me m'lady."

Cora's smile was soft and kittenish and Sarah's smile became immediately more genuine in response; her lady hadn't let go of her hand yet and Sarah took the opportunity to sweep her thumb over the back of Cora's soft flesh, willing the moment to last as long as possible and for Cora to never ever look away from her. Her ladyship reached up to cup her cheek and apropos of nothing leaned in and pressed her lips against Sarah's. It was brief, only for a second or two and Sarah knew she'd seen Cora be as affectionate with Lady Rosamund on more than one occasion so there was nothing in it...but still. At least she was being elevated to the level of friend, which was better than maid!

Cora smiled at her again as she moved back, looking utterly at ease with her affection and Sarah supposed that when you'd received it in abundance it was easier to give it back.

"I hope I always can."

* * *

The second kiss was Sarah's idea and she knew she should really feel terrible that Cora had jumped a mile when they were nearly caught but somehow she just couldn't bring herself to care that she'd led her mistress astray.

His lordship shouldn't burst in when they were experimenting with Cora wearing lipstick anyway.

* * *

"We really should stop this," Cora wrapped her arms around her maid's shoulders, fingers stroking the long expanse of exposed neck underneath where Sarah's hair was pulled up so rigidly. She'd been dreaming lately of pulling it down, letting the curls she'd never seen fall about O'Brien's shoulders – shoulders she'd never seen either – and running her fingers through silky coils of hair. She never thought kissing O'Brien would make her imagination become quite so vivid.

"Whatever you say m'lady." It's growled out because her maid's lips are altogether too busy to say anything more. The expert sweep of Sarah's tongue leaves her whole body tingling and Cora's glad she's already sat down so it doesn't become abundantly clear quite how wobbly her stance would be. Sarah's hand clutched at her hip, keeping both their bodies turned towards each other and it was all Cora could do not to push her down on top of the bed and...

Do what exactly?

She sighed and pulled back from Sarah, the brief flash of surprise and then concern that passes over O'Brien's face being immediately remedied by a soft smile and squeezing the hand that feels like its burning through to her skin. The burn wasn't new, she'd felt lust plenty of times in her life but the difference was that other than few occasions when she'd been young she had always had the knowledge and the means to sate it. Now she was at a loss and she chose to believe in O'Brien's good character enough to believe her maid had no more idea than she did.

In her heart of hearts she knew that wasn't entirely true but allowing for the possibility that Sarah would know what to do only made her feel worse.

"You really do want to stop m'lady?"

The hurt was evident in Sarah's voice and Cora hated hearing it. Did she really want to stop? Cora could answer that very easily.

"No."

She pressed her lips to Sarah's again, catching her maid's when they were halfway open in surprise but it was to O'Brien's credit that she immediately resumed the warm exploration she'd been attempting before rather than being put off by her mistress' strange whims. Cora made a noise at the back of her throat when Sarah's thumb brushed the underside of her breast in such a casual way that she wasn't sure whether it was by design or accident and with renewed vigour she pulled them down until they were lying on the bed.

* * *

"Sarah?" Cora smirked up at her maid from her bath, bubble bath sent from Harrods by her eternally generous sister-in-law softening her skin with its floral scents and her hair tied up in its customary scarf. Sarah's eyes had roamed more than usual, the appreciation that Cora hoped had always been there being more obvious of late and she couldn't pretend she wasn't curious to have a similar visual experience herself.

"Yes m'lady?"

Her maid moved around the room with practiced ease and it astounded Cora that even when there seemed like there was nothing to do at all O'Brien would always be able to find something to occupy herself with. At the moment it was folding towels that didn't need folding to Cora's eye and placing them over the radiator – at least they'd be warm!

"I've had an idea."

"For the soldiers?"

Cora smirked. It had to be noted that Sarah's vested interest in the well-being of the soldiers had grown rather rapidly since she'd learnt how much it meant to Cora.

"No, although I'm sure they'd like it too..." Sarah stood by the side of the bath, her brow furrowed with confusion and Cora wanted to kiss it away. "Is the door locked?"

Sarah looked towards it, as though the door would burst open of its own accord or the key had played a trick on her.

"Yes m'lady."

"Good." Cora took a breath, bracing herself for the instruction she had never given in her life to _anyone_. "Take your clothes off."

The look on Sarah's face was worth the minor embarrassment she had felt saying something that sounded utterly foreign on her lips and Cora smirked further, raising her eyebrow expectantly. She had tried to look surreptitiously through Robert's library to see if any of the previous Earl's had hidden a book away about the technicalities of Sapphism but she hadn't been in luck – other than a few French postcards that taught her more about gag reflexes than anything else. So Cora had decided the best option was to hope for the best and trust instinct: and she wasn't going to get very far with either if O'Brien was dressed.

"M'lady?"

"I'm not joking Sarah," she spoke softer, tilting her head to lean against the bathtub, her eyes warm and inviting. "I need to see you."

Sarah looked unsure for a moment but nevertheless hesitantly reached around to the side of the dress where the buttons were concealed and began to undo them with meticulous fingers. Cora could see the rise in colour on her maid's cheek and for the time being it was of more interesting than the flash of corset and chemise that was being uncovered.

"Darling," she sat up carefully, very aware that while Sarah was blushing over something so small, her breasts were out of the water and sodden and she didn't much care. She reached for Sarah's hand and it was given gratefully. "I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with."

"No, it's fine. It's just been a while."

"I could help you?" Cora placed her hands on the side of the bath, making it clear that she was willing to get out but Sarah immediately shook her head and Cora stayed still.

"I think I'll be quicker on my own m'lady," Sarah met her eye and smirked, something Cora was more than happy to respond to but it didn't change what her ultimate goal was. Sarah wriggled her arms out of the dress quickly and pushed the bodice away from her chest and down over generous hips until she had it round her feet and could pick it up and put it on the chair. Cora smiled – trust Sarah to be neat even now. From her position she could see the dramatic sweep into a small waist between the curve of her hips and swell of her breasts and Cora let out a small sigh when Sarah looked back towards her coyly.

The corset had clearly been altered and between the stabs of lust Cora felt everytime her eyes scanned over the smooth, soft skin at Sarah's shoulder and she thought about the trail she wanted to follow with her lips up the long neck, she managed to rather admire the sense in having a corset that only held your breasts and didn't squash your stomach. Sarah made a move as though she was going to come back towards her but clearly thought better of it and lifted her leg up onto the chair to untie the laces on her boots and Cora stared unabashedly at the flash of thigh that was revealed between the tops of her stockings and her underwear.

Cora kept one hand vigilantly clinging to the side of the bath, leaning her chin on it playfully as she watched but she could feel the heat rising in her body with more rapidity than any bath could achieve. Sarah was more beautiful than she could have imagined, made human by the freckles on her arms and the almost translucently pale skin on her legs that was being revealed as her maid removed her stockings, sat on the chair and not looking in Cora's direction. The vague blush was still there, but Cora could see how far it travelled now and knew it was lust not embarrassment that had sent the other woman red; not meeting her eye Cora could understand, she had a feeling that if she could see the same want reflected back then she wouldn't be able to resist leaping out of the bath herself.

Cora found herself smiling rather fondly, lust not forgotten but momentarily abated, when the stockings were finally gone and Sarah wiggled her toes to get air to them and smiled at her feet like a child might. She looked up and finally met her lady's gaze then and Cora pushed herself up again, looking up at her maid through heavily lidded eyes and nearly licking her lips there and then.

"Your hair next O'Brien."

"It'll be a nightmare to put back up."

"I want it down Sarah, please? For me?" She widened her eyes and smiled imploringly and Cora thought she might have been able to pinpoint the exact second that Sarah melted and acquiesced, reaching up and removing endless pins until she could uncoil her plaited hair. She hesitated for moment, clearly considering the intricate process of putting it back up, and Cora felt a momentary stab of guilt but ignored it. If they were going to do this they might as well do it properly.

Long, thick tendrils of mahogany hair pooled around Sarah's shoulders and Cora watched its progress with delight. The light seemed to catch each strand and turn it a different colour to its neighbour and she knew she'd been right about how much she was going to adore Sarah's hair when it was free.

"You're so lovely."

"You're very kind."

"I mean it Sarah, you're beautiful..." She sighed and rested her chin on her hand again, pressing her lips together playfully. "Hurry up and come here."

Sarah didn't need telling twice and after a moment of fiddling behind her back had the corset off and slung over the back of the chair...then she hesitated and Cora bit her lip at what was to come. Trying to look entirely non-plussed Sarah pulled the short chemise up and over her head and Cora couldn't resist whimpering at the breasts on display for her. Sarah was ridiculously well put together for a woman their age and she licked her lips as her eyes took in the unblemished skin and dusky nipples, egging Sarah on so that she could touch her properly at last.

Sarah stopped dead for a moment and looked over at her with a serious face that Cora had no desire to see.

"Are you sure about this m'lady?"

"Yes! I think we've gone past the point of no return by now Sarah. Just come over here and let me kiss you."

Matching Cora's grin Sarah pushed her underwear away and was by the side of the bath before Cora could comprehend that she was finally, _finally_ getting to see the other woman as she had been seen for years. She sat up in the bath immediately, her hand reaching out to brush over Sarah's soft hip with pleasure as she arranged her legs so Sarah could get in. Cora felt a thrill of daringness at the now very real feeling of having the other woman sat opposite her, their legs pressed together under the water and neither of them quite able to keep the pleasure of the situation to themselves.

Cora shuffled towards her maid, guiding Sarah easily until it was how she'd imagined and her thigh was draped over the other woman's and she was close enough to kiss her. She slid her hand around Sarah's waist as the kiss increased, leaning towards her maid until she felt the tips of her breasts brush Sarah's. Cora gasped and grinned at the sensation and pulled back to push the hair out of Sarah's face – her maid had been right, it really was a nuisance already even if it was rather beautuful!

"Hmmm, that's a lot better."

"That's a mild way of putting it."

Cora giggled and they soon turned into gasps when Sarah's lips found her neck and traced her tongue over the sensitive spots she'd found the other day; she should have known that O'Brien would remember such details and use them to her advantage later.

"God that's..."

"A lot better?" Sarah mumbled against her skin. Cora laughed and splashed water towards the other woman lightly. Sarah was not to be deterred though and Cora soon found herself closer to the other woman as strong arms wrapped around her waist and hoisted her closer, sending water splashing everywhere and landing her in Sarah's lap.

"We'll flood the floor."

"I'll clean it up later. It'll be worth it."

Sarah smirked and never dropped Cora's gaze as she slowly lowered her lips towards the breasts that were now more than close enough for her to reach. Cora's breath hitched and she pressed her lips together at the agonisingly slow descent, feeling as though she could burst with the anticipation of Sarah's skilled tongue. Sarah's eyes bore into hers with eager amusement as she caught a soft pink nipple between her lips and lavished it with attention, suckling happily as Cora clung helplessly to her back, holding her desperately tight.

"Sarah..." She whined, taking the opportunity to tangle her fingers in Sarah's lustrous hair and having a brief, heart-stopping image of where she wanted to guide the mane. Cora was not to be outdone though; she leant back, feeling her backside press against Cora's thighs with a sigh but still pushed herself to move enough that Sarah was forced to break her contact.

"Do you think the soldiers would like this O'Brien?"

Sarah laughed throatily at that and threw her head back until it was resting on the edge of the tub, looking up at Cora with utter adoration and Cora couldn't remember ever thinking anyone was so desirable. Her hand came up to cup a breast that had escaped from the water, the lines of Sarah's corset still visible in her pale skin and encouraged by her maid's little sigh she experimentally caught a peak between her thumb and a long finger.

Sarah shuddered beneath her and Cora's eyes went wide with glee, pleasure that was only heightened when Sarah gripped her hip suddenly. She _could_ do this.

End.

* * *

A/N: I think it's safe to say the floor got more flooded.


End file.
